Boy Radio, Pop Renegade

With his 6-foot-5 frame and skyscraping pompadour, Boy Radio (born Jordan Hall) cuts an imposing figure onstage--or on the street. Yet despite looking like the love child of Grace Jones and Little Richard, the statuesque singer claims David Bowie as his key influence.

"I specifically love the Let's Dance era," Hall says. "He was so connected to his voice and style and experimenting with black American musical influences." Hall describes his own sound as electro-house, with undertones of classic R&B, New Wave, and rap, as evidenced by "Two One Two (We Keep Dancin')," his giddy ode to New York. Right now, Hall is recording his debut full-length, due out in 2016, and this spring he'll be bringing his velvet falsetto to the city's latest Bowie Ball. Naturally.